YOUNG CLARION WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM ENDS SEASON
Big wins, a school record and two all-conference players highlighted the 2006 season for a young, talented Clarion University women’s basketball team.
The Golden Eagles, who started four sophomores and freshmen and had just one senior, finished 12-15 overall and 3-9 in the always-tough PSAC-West while competing for a PSAC Playoff berth into the final two weeks of the season.
The 12 wins included victories over eventual NCAA qualifier Ashland and PSAC-East champion East Stroudsburg as well as rival Pitt-Johnstown.
In the process, the Golden Eagles set a school record for free-throw percentage in a season and had two players – senior Melba Melton and sophomore Jessica Albanese – named second-team PSAC-West.
“I was happy with the way we competed, especially at the end of the season,” Clarion’s 17th year head coach Gie Parsons said. “While we were disappointed not to make the playoffs, we had many young players get a lot of experience that will only help to make us stronger in the future.”
Clarion was very close to being a plus .500 team playing eight games decided by eight points or less including six by five points or less including one overtime contest. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t bounce the Eagles way in many of those games and Clarion was 1-7 in those contests including 1-5 in the games decided by five points or less.
“That’s a sign of a young team,” Parsons said. “We need to learn how to win those close games, and I think we will win more of them next year.”
When Clarion starts to win those games, the Eagles have a chance to be good considering a lot of the close loses came against some of the best teams in the nation. Clarion played one of the tougher schedules in the nation with seven games against eventual NCAA D-II playoff teams and nine games against teams that won at least 20 games with two of them winning 30 or more.
“I believe playing good competition makes a team better,” Parsons said. “We have always strived to play the best.”
One of Clarion’s biggest wins during the year came against one of those NCAA qualifiers – Ashland, 82-72, at Tippin Gym Nov. 23. Five Eagles were in double figures that night led by 21 points, 9 rebounds from Albanese, 18 points from Melton and 17 from freshman Leah Shrift. Sophomore point guard Ashley Grimm added 12 assists.
Two days later against Pitt-Johnstown, a team that finished 20-7, in an 80-77 win at a tournament at IUP, six Eagles reached double digits led by 19 by freshman Katrina Greer and 17 from Grimm and double-doubles from Albanese (11 points, 10 rebounds) and sophomore April Gratton (10 points, 12 rebounds).
In mid-January, Clarion blew out PSAC-East champion East Stroudsburg 63-44 at Tippin behind 19 points from Grimm and 16 from Melton.
Clarion also had two tight loses to eventual NCAA qualifiers losing in overtime 64-59 to PSAC-West and PSAC champion California Feb. 15 at Tippin and 73-71 to PSAC runner-up Edinboro 73-71.
“We showed that we could play with good competition this year,” Parsons said. “As our young players continue to progress, we should start winning more and more of those games.”
One of the many positives to come out of the year was the Golden Eagles setting the school record for free-throw percentage in a season at 76.4 percent (421 of 551) bettering the previous record (73.5 percent) set in 1995-96 by nearly three percentage points. Four Golden Eagles finished in the Top 11 in the PSAC in free-throw shooting.
Two of those players – Melton and Albanese – earned second-team PSAC-West honors.
Melton, the lone senior, earned second-team honors for the second straight year after leading Clarion in scoring (15.0 ppg) while ranking sixth in the PSAC. She added 3.96 apg (9th in the PSAC) and 1.85 spg (10th in the PSAC) while shooting 82.2 percent from the free-throw line the third best mark in the PSAC and the third best mark in school history. She scored 20 or more points six times during the year including a career-high 26 against Edinboro while dishing out five or more assists 10 times.
In her two-year career, she transferred to Clarion from Kalamazoo Valley Community College prior to her junior season, she scored 758 points, dished out 249 assists (8th best all-time at Clarion), picked up 115 steals and shot 78.5 percent from the free-throw line, the third highest mark n school history. Her 142 assists in 2005 were the third most in a season at Clarion.
“Melba was a quick, athletic player who was difficult to guard,” Parsons said. “She really solidified our guard play the last two years and was one of the reasons we qualified for the NCAA Playoffs last year.”
Albanese was asked to fill some big shoes this year with Clarion losing two first-team PSAC-West forward from a year ago (Heather Cigich and Shay Godwin) and she did a solid job ranking ninth in the PSAC in both scoring (14.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.9 rpg), second in shooting percentage (56.9 percent) and 11th in free-throw percentage (74.4 percent). She finished the year with six double-doubles including a career-high 28 points against Goldey-Beacom and a career-best 14 rebounds against Point Park and IUP.
In two seasons, Albanese has scored 582 points while hauling down 338 rebounds and shooting 52.8 percent from the floor and 71.5 percent from the free-throw line.
“Jessica stepped up this year and became a solid post player,” Parsons said. “She is going to be a good player for us the next two years.”
Grimm, the starting point guard for two years, made Melton and Albanese and the rest of the Eagles lives easier while putting up the second best assist-to-turnover margin (1.56-1) at Clarion in the past 10 years. Her 136 assists were the fourth most in the season at Clarion, while her 5.04 apg ranked sixth in the PSAC. She added 8.1 ppg and 4.3 rpg. Grimm scored a career-high 19 points in the win over East Stroudsburg while dishing out a career-best 12 assists in the Ashland game. She twice went over 10 assists and had five or more assists 14 times.
In her two-year career, Grimm has 261 assists, the sixth most in school history, 390 points, 222 rebounds and 113 steals.
“Ashley is very solid point guard and is one of the reasons we have won 35 games in the past two years,” Parsons said. “We would like to see her shoot the ball a little more, because she is probably one of our best shooters.”
Joining Melton, Albanese and Grimm in the starting lineup for most of the year were two players in their first seasons at Clarion – Gratton, a transfer from James Madison where she saw limited action, and Greer.
Gratton missed Clarion’s final two games with an injury but still ranked 10th in the PSAC in rebounding (7.6 rpg) and sixth in free-throw percentage (79.4) while adding 11.5 ppg. She finished the year with four double-doubles and had a season-high 31 points against Point Park and 12 rebounds against Pitt-Johnstown and Goldey-Beacom.
Greer, despite playing over half the season with an injured shooting hand, averaged 10.9 ppg and 4.0 rpg and shot 79.7 percent from the free-throw line, the fourth best mark in the PSAC and the second highest mark by a freshman in school history. Her 102 made free throws set a school record for made charity shots by a freshman, and she became the first Eagle in six years to shoot 100 percent from the line (10 of 10) when taking 10 or more shots when she was perfect at Shippensburg. She scored in double figures 16 times including a season-high 20 points vs. Edinboro.
“Katrina is a tough young lady,” Parsons said. “She will only get better when she is healthy.”
Three freshmen – Shrift, Rachael Franklin and Chelsey Grabigel – gave Clarion solid bench play during the year.
Shrift averaged 5.3 ppg and 4.1 rpg while really coming into her own down the stretch (she averaged 8.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg in the final two games both starts). She finished her year on a high with her first double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds) in the season finale at IUP.
Franklin was Clarion’s top post player off the bench until an injury forced her to miss the final four games. She averaged 2.3 ppg and 1.8 rpg.
Grabigel gave Clarion’s guards some key breathers and ended the year with 19 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and six steals.
Michelle Johnson (14 games) and Jessica Skeggs (7 games – missed final 17 with an injury) also gave Clarion some good minutes off the bench.
“One of the biggest factors next year is that we will have nearly everyone back,” Parsons said. “Add that to the fact that if we as coaches do our job, and do our job in recruiting, we should be a better team next season.”
GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES – Parsons is the winningest coach in school history with a record 261-212 (55.2 percent) while compiling a 25-year career mark of 371-285 (56.6 percent). She has led Clarion to two NCAA “Elite Eight” appearances (1991, 1994), six NCAA Playoff appearances (2005, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991), three PSAC Titles (1991, 1993, 1994), five PSAC-West titles (1991-95) and nine PSAC Playoff appearances. From 1991-95 she led Clarion on an amazing stretch the included a 117-33 (78 percent) overall record, a 50-10 (83.3 percent) PSAC-West mark, five straight PSAC-West titles, three PSAC Titles, two East Region Titles and two trips to the NCAA D-II “Elite Eight”… Cranberry native Scott Creighton, in his eighth year as the top lieutenant, once again assisted Parsons. Mike Whitling, a Keystone graduate, joined the staff this year as a graduate assistant.
Sr. Melba Melton
So. Jessica Albanese
So. Ashley Grimm
So. April Gratton
Sr. Katrina Greer